Staffing Agencies

Credible staffing agencies in England make a point of building an in-depth knowledge of both their applicants and their businesses. In fact, a number of them are part of the employer induction programme, as well as attending lots of meetings so they can get to grips with the culture and environment and get a feel for the kind of individuals who would be beneficial to each specific company. On the flipside, staffing agencies also build a picture of the applicant’s areas of expertise, and which culture would be most suited to them and help them thrive and develop. Recruitment is not just a game of statistics, it is a drawn-out process of getting to know people, revolving around the idea that people are the key asset for any business.

At present, the UK job market is overrun with recruitment agencies, from small to large, all waxing lyrical about their successful outcomes and endless pools of talent. Actually, over the last few years, there has been a scary volume of applicants stating they were not provided with the right details or were heavily encouraged to go to interviews for jobs they didn’t want. Unfortunately, there are a few things that less credible recruitment agencies do that are worth keeping an eye out for. Now, these are not illegal things, but they are a good benchmark to know who’s interests they are looking after – their own, the companies or the applicants.

Contacts and details are like currency for staffing agencies, and they can sometimes take a side route to building that database. For example, it is not unheard of for agencies to place false job averts to build their database of CVs and applicants registering with them. Another trick they use, is asking for your reference details which will give them direct line numbers and names to cold call to see if they need to fill the job. Agencies have been heard to pluck a name out of thin air, such as John Smith, and ask if they were your boss. It is human nature, to reply with a no, and follow up with the correct name, giving them more details to cold call.

Another thing to keep quiet about until you are sure about the agency is the rate you are looking for, or more importantly, willing to take. Many agencies will seek to find out your lowest figure, but then work that against the applicant. Some even negotiate an increased hourly rate with the company, while only giving you the lower figure you stated you’d take and keep the difference. Another situation that can occur is that after the salary has been confirmed and the job accepted, the agency may then come back to you later and say that the business’ circumstances have changed and they can now only pay a lower rate. However, whilst there are some bad eggs, it’s worth noting that there are many good ones too. Professional staffing agencies like Daniel Adams are transparent when it comes to finding you the right job, that is what their business is all about. These professional agencies may also offer extra services like CV templates and introductory letters, as well as providing you with constructive feedback on your CV, or interview prep and training and helping you tease out your key skills and areas for improvement. Questions such as where do you want to be in five years’ time or similar are sometimes tricky without preparation and guidance.

It’s worth noting, a credible and professional staffing agency will respect its applicants and provide open, transparent guidance and industry and job knowledge without being prompted. If they’re asking lots of questions but not giving you much back, it’s worth looking at reviews and getting feedback before registering with them.